Megastar Chiranjeevi turns 64 today. The actor, who made his debut in 1978 with the film Punadhirallu has worked in cinema for a career spanning over three decades. He will soon be seen in historical drama Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, produced by his son Ram Charan Tej.
On his birthday, here are a few facts about the star that you should know:
Chiranjeevi was supposed to make his acting debut in the movie Punadhirallu, but the movie got delayed and released in 1979.
He was the first actor from South India to be invited to the Oscars ceremony in 1987.
His film, Kodama Simham, released in 1990, was the first South Indian movie to be dubbed in English.
Chiranjeevi’s 1992 film Gharana Mogudu, directed by K Raghavendra Rao, is the first Telugu film to gross over Rs 10 crore at the box office.
He founded the Chiranjeevi Charitable Trust in 1998.
In 2002, he was given the Samman Award for the Highest Income Tax Payer for the 1999–2000 assessment year by the Minister of State for Finance.
In 2006, Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema.
The superstar became a politician in 2008 and established his own political party Praja Rajyam in Andhra Pradesh. He later merged his party with Indian National Congress.